Canada women open Day 2 of Vancouver rugby sevens with win to book quarterfinal spot

Canada women open Day 2 of Vancouver rugby sevens with win to book quarterfinal spot

VANCOUVER — Canada’s women’s rugby sevens squad ran out to a 22-5 win over Spain on the second day of the HSBC SVNS at B.C. Place to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

Head coach Jack Henratty said he and his team are pleased with the win but know tougher tests await them in the later round.

“We’re happy. We wanted to get into the quarterfinals,” he said. “I think for us, we wanted to put in a complete 14 minutes … I don’t think that was a complete 14 minutes and we still needed to punch away.”

After taking an early two-try lead courtesy of Fancy Bermudez and Florence Symonds, Spain pulled one back to end the first half 10-5.

Charity Williams restored the lead midway through the second half after receiving an off-load from Symonds to break down the wing.

The try marked Williams’ 452nd point in sevens competition.

“It’s been a long time coming, it’s been 10 years that I’ve been on this team and it’s a pretty big day for me,” she said.

Asia Hogan-Rochester sealed the win with a try with just over a minute left.

It started with a scrum on the opposite side of the field before Hogan-Rochester found free space.

Earlier in the day, Australia preserved its unbeaten record with a 17-12 win over the U.S. while Fiji hammered Japan 36-12.

The Canadian men’s side will play Spain later in the day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2024.

The Canadian Press